. Birds and nature . .During its nuptial season and sometinesduring its migration the bird has asweet warble, and it nearly always utterscall-notes now and then by which onefamiliar with it may recognize it. Thebird is chiefly a vegetarian, feedingmainly on weed seeds. At its winterhome at Washington, I have observedit in small flocks feeding heartily on thetulip tree. It is also fond of slippery-elm buds, a taste which it shares withits disreputable European relative. While the bird is on the whole notof great economic importance in a posi-tively beneficial way, it is comparativelyfree from f
. Birds and nature . .During its nuptial season and sometinesduring its migration the bird has asweet warble, and it nearly always utterscall-notes now and then by which onefamiliar with it may recognize it. Thebird is chiefly a vegetarian, feedingmainly on weed seeds. At its winterhome at Washington, I have observedit in small flocks feeding heartily on thetulip tree. It is also fond of slippery-elm buds, a taste which it shares withits disreputable European relative. While the bird is on the whole notof great economic importance in a posi-tively beneficial way, it is comparativelyfree from faults, and there is very littledanger that it will ever become a nui-sance, as it shows no particular tendencyto collect and multiply about houses, andit does not display the pugnacity of theEnglish sparrow. H. Walton Clark. I hear no more the robins summer song Through the gray network of the wintry woods: Only the cawing crows that all day longClamor about the windy solitudes. —Christopher P. Cranch, December. 62. ■■OM COL. CMI. *C»0. SCIINCt*.1:51 PURPLE FINCH. (Carpodacus purpurcus).}i Life-si/e. PLANT STUDIES PART n, THE WORK OF FOLIAGE LEAVES The little birds sang as if it were The one day of summer in all the year, And the very leaves seemed to sing on the trees. summer day,a shady treees- In the middle of a hot,when we sit down underto rest and eat our lunch, we feelpecially grateful to nature for provid-ing us with such a cool resting place;hut, after all, we must not forget thatNature, though willing to share herbounties is first considering her ownchildren. The leaves that protect usfrom the burning sun have very import-ant work to do for the tree; so import-ant, indeed, that without such work be-ing done, the tree could not live. Beforewe consider this work in detail, let usexamine a single leaf carefully. A leaf usually consists of the flat,green, expanse which we call the blade;of the petiole, or little stem, by which itis attached to the twig or plant; and
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